Different Causes of Earaches That You Might Not Expect

Monday, October 10, 2016 10:10:06 PM Australia/Melbourne

For many, there is nothing more annoying than a pesky earache. Whether it’s a dull pain that’s constantly in the back of your mind, or sharp jabs that interrupt the daily flow of your schedule, they’re definitely a pain in more ways than one. Many reach out to audiologists immediately, making the assumption that an earache is a definite indicator of an infection in the ear. While this is true in some capacities, there are also many other problems that can be associated with earaches. To be clear, there is always a benefit to reaching out to your audiologist, especially if they’re associated with Hearlink. Seeing a specialist early and often is the best way to mitigate a long term problem surfacing or a small problem evolving into a bigger problem. The worst thing that can happen is that we’ll point you in the direction of a specialist who will be best equipped to assist with whatever the symptoms are at hand. As a helpful resource, we’ve put together a list of several afflictions which can be associated with earaches:

One of the most common causes of earaches is the growth of boils or a hair follicle in the ear canal which has become infected. Unfortunately, this is something that just needs to clear up on its own, although audiologists and doctors sometimes supply antibiotics or painkillers to help with the pain.

Swimmers Ear, or Otitis Externa, is a huge cause of earaches. Otitis Externa inflames both the outer ear and the ear canal itself. This pain is amplified when someone who has been impacted has his or her outer ear touched or pulled gently. What is it caused by? Surprise! Swimming in polluted water.

The most surprising may be the common color, or a throat infection like tonsillitis. As if these aren’t painful enough to deal with on their own, they’re frequent causes of earaches. This is one scenario where the infection may have actually started in the ear, before moving and spreading to the throat. The reverse can also happen, where the infection begins in the throat and then moves to the ear. Both are connected with a tube called the Eustachian tube, so when one gets sick- it’s likely that the other will follow.

Facial nerve pain, known by specialists as trigeminal neuralgia, is a particularly painful condition. It’s a chronic condition which affects the trigeminal nerve in many men and women over the age of sixty. It causes radiating pain all over face, including the ear area. Doctors can help with medicines to mitigate the effects, but sometimes surgery is necessary.

Did you know that you can contract eczema in parts of your ear, including the ear canal? Warning signs include flaky or scaly skin in the area of the ear canal, as well as erythema and pruritis. Eczema in the ear canal is a tricky one, because it can be caused totally spontaneously. It can also be caused if you’re exposed to different allergens in the environment. In order for eczema of the ear to heal properly, doctors almost always recommend topical medications. It’s also highly recommended to avoid any triggers that may have caused the eczema to begin with.

Bottom line, when in doubt- reach out to the Hearlink team. We’ll be able to point you in the right direction so that you’re pain free in no time.

Hearlink Admin

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At HEARLINK we are committed to helping people hear the beauty of sound again. Our hearing care experts use best practices and state-of-the-art equipment in the evaluation of hearing impairment. We are a dedicated team of Audiologists, technicians and receptionists in the provision of hearing care.